JPH07114075A - Camera with automatic starting function - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To turn on and off a main switch without providing a main switch operational part operated by a photographer by providing a solar battery in a suitable position on the outside surface of the camera and starting a CPU with the production of the electromotive power of the solar battery. CONSTITUTION:The solar battery 7 is provided in the suitable position on the top surface of the camera and the output terminal of the battery 7 is connected to the CPU 10 to input the electromotive power of the battery 7 to the CPU 10. When the camera is taken out from a case, etc., and the solar battery 7 receives light, the electromotive power is produced in the solar battery 7 and the CPU 10 is started to actuate an AE sensor 5 and start photometry. In the cases the photometric value is changed and a release button is slightly depressed to turn on a first stage switch for release 14, the main switch is tuned on, the protective barrier of a photographic lens is opened or the retracted photographic lens is let out up to a photographic position and the camera is set in a photographing standby state.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention has an automatic starting function for starting a camera in a shooting standby state in which the camera can be used for shooting without operating an operation unit such as a main switch. Regarding the camera.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Automatic exposure function and auto focus function,
With the widespread use of cameras equipped with various functions such as the built-in flash's low-brightness automatic light emission function and film automatic feeding function, anyone can easily take pictures. With these functions, it is possible to quickly release the shutter when the subject is in focus regardless of the brightness of the subject.
Also, there are no mistakes such as multiple exposure. Therefore, even a person unfamiliar with the operation of the camera can easily take a snapshot of a trip or a photograph of a child's growth record.

When carrying a conventional camera equipped with various functions of this kind, the camera is taken out of the case and the main switch operation part is set in order to put the camera in a shooting standby state in which the camera can be used for shooting. Manipulate. By operating this main switch operation unit, the main switch is turned on and the CPU built into the camera is activated, the protective barrier of the taking lens is opened, or the taking lens in the collapsed state is extended forward and the camera takes a picture. It becomes possible. Then, when the camera is aimed at the subject and the subject is captured in the viewfinder and the release button is slightly depressed, the brightness of the subject is measured by the AE sensor and the exposure is automatically determined.
The subject is captured by the F sensor and the photographing lens is focused on the subject. Then, the release button is pushed all the way to release. When the release operation is completed, the film is wound and the next frame is set as the aperture. When the brightness of the subject is insufficient, the built-in strobe automatically emits light at the time of release and stroboscopic photography is performed.

When the camera is in a photographing standby state, the liquid crystal display portion exposed on an appropriate portion on the outer surface of the camera body,
Various information regarding the camera is displayed such as the remaining film number (or the number of shots), the strobe light-emission state or the non-light-emission state, a shooting mode such as panorama shooting, and a power battery insufficient capacity state.

When carrying the camera in the photographing standby state, the main switch operating portion is operated to turn off the main switch. By the operation of the main switch operation unit, the photographing lens that has been moved forward is retracted to the retracted position, or the protective barrier is closed. Further, the power supply to the liquid crystal display unit is stopped and the information display disappears. In this state, the camera is put in a case and carried or stored.

[0006]

However, as described above, in the conventional camera, since the main switch is turned on and off by the operation of the main switch operating portion, the camera is switched between the photographing standby state and the non-standby state. The following problems occur.

Since the above-mentioned camera is developed with the intention that anyone can enjoy taking pictures, it is required that even a person unfamiliar with the operation of the camera can easily operate it. However, a person unaccustomed to operating the camera may forget to operate the main switch operation unit and carry or store the main switch in the ON state. When the main switch is on, the camera is in the shooting standby state, so the flash circuit is being charged and the automatic exposure function is in operation, and various information is displayed on the liquid crystal display. It is in the state of being. In such a state, the power supply battery built in the camera is exhausted, and there is a possibility that the camera will not operate the next time a picture is taken.

Further, when the user intends to use the camera for photographing, he / she may forget to operate the main switch operating section and operate the release button without turning on the main switch. You can't shoot in this state, so you'll miss the photo opportunity.

In view of this, the present invention focuses on the fact that the camera is carried in a case and carried or stored in a dark place when the camera is not used for photographing. Even if there is, we provide a camera with an automatic start function that prevents unnecessary consumption of the power supply battery when carrying or storing, and allows the camera to start in the shooting standby state by taking it out of the case when shooting The purpose is to do.

[0010]

As a technical means for achieving the above object, a camera with an automatic start function according to the present invention is provided with an automatic exposure function, an automatic focus function, an automatic film function by a CPU incorporated in the camera. In a camera that controls various functions such as a feeding function, a photocell is provided at an appropriate position on the outer surface of the camera, and the CPU is activated by an electromotive force generated in the photocell to wait for the camera to be ready for shooting. When the electromotive force of the photovoltaic cell is not generated within a predetermined time, the camera is in a state where it cannot be used for photographing.

As the photovoltaic cell, for example, a solar cell can be used. Further, even when the photocell receives light, if the release operation is not performed for a predetermined time, the camera state is set to the non-photographing state, so that the consumption of the power battery can be further reduced. Then, when the photocell receives light and the camera is in the non-shooting state, the shutter button can be activated to start the camera in the shooting standby state, so that the photo opportunity can be quickly responded. it can.

[0012]

When the camera is taken out of the case for photographing, the photocell receives light to generate an electromotive force, so that the CPU is activated. When the CPU is activated, a predetermined motor operates to open the protective barrier of the taking lens, or the taking lens advances from the retracted position to the taking position. Also,
The main capacitor of the strobe circuit starts charging, enabling the strobe to fire. If the release button is pressed in this state, the exposure is controlled by the automatic exposure function and the automatic focusing is performed by the autofocus function, and the shutter is released.

Since the camera is not used for photographing, no electromotive force is generated in the photocell when it is housed in a case or stored in a dark place. When a predetermined time elapses after the electromotive force is not generated in the photocell, the protective barrier is closed or the photographing lens is retracted to the retracted position, and the CPU
Stops.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A camera with an automatic starting function according to the present invention will be specifically described below based on the illustrated embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a camera with an automatic starting function according to the present invention, showing a state in which it cannot be used for photographing. A lens barrel 1 holding a taking lens (not shown) is located at the center of the front surface of the camera body, and a protective barrier 2 for protecting the taking lens is provided in front of the lens barrel 1.
Is openable and closable. With the protective barrier 2 open, the photographing lens is exposed and the photographing can be performed. A finder objective window 3 is provided above the lens barrel 1, and distance measuring windows 4 facing the AF sensor are arranged on both sides of the objective window 3. Also, the lens barrel 1
An AE sensor 5 for measuring the brightness of a subject is provided on the front surface of the. Further, a stroboscopic light emission window 6 is provided on the front side of the camera body.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of this camera. A solar cell 7 is provided as a photocell at an appropriate position above the lens barrel 1 on the upper surface of the camera body. Further, a release button 8 and a liquid crystal display unit 9 are arranged on the side of the upper surface.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the camera with the automatic starting function, which is mainly composed of the CPU 10. The terminal of the solar cell 7 is a CPU
The electromotive force generated in the solar cell 7 is connected to the CPU
It has been entered in 10. The output signal of the AE sensor 5 is input to the CPU 10, and the exposure is calculated based on the photometric data on the brightness of the subject obtained by the AE sensor 5 (AE
Is calculated). Further, a motor drive signal is sent from the CPU 10 to the motor drive circuit 11, and the motor 12 is driven by the drive signal for feeding the film, advancing and retracting the photographing lens, opening and closing the protective barrier, and the like. And CPU10
Data relating to the distance to the subject is exchanged between the camera and the autofocus circuit (AF circuit) 13, and the AF circuit 13 releases the photographing lens while the subject is in focus. The reference numeral 13a in FIG.
It is a light emitting element for projecting the light received by the light receiving element of the F circuit 13 onto the subject.

Further, a release first stage switch 14 and a release second stage switch 15 are connected to the CPU 10.
These are turned on by pressing the release button 8. At that time, the release first-stage switch 14 is turned on when the release button 8 is slightly pressed, and the release second-stage switch 15 is turned on when the release button 8 is further pressed.
It is done. Then, when the release first stage switch 14 is turned on, capturing of the subject brightness by the AE sensor 5 and AE calculation are started, and at the same time, the light emitting element is
The distance to the subject is detected by projecting the light from 13a to the subject and capturing the reflected light by the AF circuit 13. Then, the release second-stage switch 15 is turned on to release the shutter.

Further, various other switches 16 are connected to the CPU 10, and these various switches 16 are, for example, a self switch for performing self-timer photographing or a forced rewind switch for rewinding in the middle of the film. There is a shooting mode change switch that switches between standard shooting and panorama shooting, and a forced flash switch that fires the flash when the subject is backlit. Each of these various switches 16 is provided with an operating portion at an appropriate position on the camera body, and is turned on / off or switched by operating the operating portion.

Further, the CPU 10 has a power source battery 17 for driving.
Are connected. A storage battery (not shown) is connected to the CPU 10, and the storage battery is connected to the power supply battery 17. Then, the electromotive force generated in the solar cell 7 charges the storage battery.

The operation of the camera having the automatic starting function according to the present invention constructed as described above will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG.

It is assumed that the camera is stored in a case and stored without being used. In the stored state, the camera is in a dark place, or light does not enter the solar cell 7, so that no electromotive force is generated. That is, step 401
Is determined to be dark, and the AE sensor 5 for capturing the brightness data of the subject for the AE calculation is turned off (step
402), the main switch that activates the CPU 10 is OFF
(Step 403). When the camera used for shooting is stored or stored in the case, turning off the main switch causes the shooting lens to retract from the shooting position to the retracted position, and the protective barrier closes to prevent the camera from moving. Not ready for shooting. Further, the CPU 10 which has been activated is stopped (step 404). Therefore,
The consumption of the power supply battery 17 is suppressed as much as possible.

When the camera is taken out of the case, light is incident on the solar cell 7, so that electromotive force is generated. Therefore, the determination in step 401 is NO,
Proceeding to 411, the CPU 10 is started. Next, the routine proceeds to step 412, the AE sensor 5 is turned on, and the routine proceeds to step 413. In step 413, it is judged from the brightness data captured by the AE sensor 5 whether or not there is a change in brightness. If there is no change, for example, when the stored camera is taken out and a film is loaded. In most cases, it is not the case for immediate shooting, so the process proceeds to step 414 and waits for a predetermined time to turn off the main switch (step 415).
The CPU 10 is stopped (step 416).

If it is determined in step 413 that there is a change in brightness, it is determined that the camera is to be used for photographing, and the process proceeds to step 417 to turn on the main switch. When the main switch is turned on, the protective barrier of the photographic lens is opened, the retracted photographic lens advances to the photographic position, and the focus switching device is set to the standby state in the camera equipped with the bifocal or zoom mechanism. Next, the main capacitor of the strobe circuit is charged so that flash photography can be performed (step
418). Then, it is judged from the brightness data captured by the AE sensor 5 whether there is sufficient brightness (step 419), and if the brightness is not sufficient, the process proceeds to step 422. If it is determined in step 419 that the light is sufficiently bright, the process proceeds to step 420, the storage battery (not shown) is charged by the electromotive force generated by the solar cell 7, and the charging of the main capacitor of the strobe circuit is stopped. Then (step 421), the process proceeds to step 422.

In step 422, it is determined whether the second release switch 15 is ON. This release second-stage switch is a switch for release operation, and this is ON
Will be released. That is, in step 423, exposure control is executed and a picture is taken. If it is determined in step 422 that the second release switch 15 is not turned on, the process returns to step 413 and the above-described procedure is repeated.

When the camera whose main switch is off (steps 403 and 415) is to be used for photographing, the release button 8 is slightly depressed to turn on the release first-stage switch 14. Let As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4, the CPU activates the CPU 10 by turning on the release first-stage switch 14 (step 430) (step 431), and then interrupts step 417 to turn on the main switch to use the camera for photographing. Be ready to do so. That is, the protective barrier is opened and the taking lens is advanced to the taking position. Then, it waits for the release second-stage switch 15 to be pressed.

[0027]

As described above, according to the camera with the automatic starting function of the present invention, the CPU is started when the electromotive force is generated by the solar battery provided on the outer surface of the camera. In a state where the camera is housed in the case or stored because it is not used, no electromotive force is generated in the solar cell and the CPU does not start. For this reason,
The charging of the strobe circuit and the operation of the automatic exposure function have stopped,
The disappearance of the display on the liquid crystal display unit suppresses the consumption of the power supply battery built in the camera.

Further, since the main switch is turned off by housing the camera, it is not necessary to operate the main switch operating portion, and the main switch is never forgotten to be turned off. Therefore, even a person unfamiliar with the operation of the camera can be prevented from inadvertently depleting the power battery.

Furthermore, since the CPU is activated by the electromotive force generated by the solar cell so that the camera can be used for photographing, the photographing standby state can be achieved without operating the main switch operation unit. Missing a photo opportunity is prevented as much as possible.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a camera with an automatic starting function according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the camera shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a circuit configuration of the camera with an automatic start function.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure at the time of starting the camera with the automatic starting function.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Lens barrel 2 Protective barrier 5 AE sensor 7 Solar cell 8 Release button 9 Liquid crystal display 10 CPU 11 Motor drive circuit 12 Motor 13 AF circuit 14 Release 1st stage switch 15 Release 2nd stage switch 16 Various switches 17 Power supply battery

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a camera that controls various functions such as an automatic exposure function, an autofocus function, and an automatic film feeding function by a CPU built in the camera, a photocell is provided at an appropriate position on an outer surface of the camera, and the photocell is provided. With the generated electromotive force, the CPU is activated and the camera is put in a standby state ready for shooting, and in a state in which no electromotive force of the photovoltaic cell is generated within a predetermined time,
A camera with an auto-start function, which makes the camera unusable.